


Cliché

by high_nooned



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Cliche, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Roller Coaster, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Gen, Past Relationship(s), Shane Being an Asshole, Shane is an Asshole, Slow Build, Slow Burn, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:20:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26657278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/high_nooned/pseuds/high_nooned
Summary: Jade is the new farmer in town, taking ownership of her Grandfather's Farm after his passing. Growing up in the big city, the farm is a change of pace as she roughs it in Pelican Town. It isn't until she meets Shane, the town fuck-up. Something about him fascinates her, regardless of how shut off he is emotionally.Can she be the one to pick him up from his lowest point?
Relationships: Shane & Female Player (Stardew Valley), Shane & Player (Stardew Valley), Shane (Stardew Valley)/Original Character(s), Shane (Stardew Valley)/Original Female Character(s), Shane (Stardew Valley)/Reader, Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Player (Stardew Valley)
Kudos: 10





	Cliché

**Author's Note:**

> Terrible summary, I promise the story is better.

Farming was hard. Being a new farmer with no prior experience, Jade had learned the hard way after ditching the city life to restore her grandfather’s farm in Stardew Valley. It sounded like an excellent idea at the time, after all, Jade had grown tired of her corporate job, the same old nine-to-five routine. Her grandfather spoke so fondly of Pelican Town and when she had learned upon his passing he’d left his beloved farm in her name, her bags had been packed in a heartbeat. 

Now that she was here, however, she wondered if it was too late to run back to Zuzu City. 

Everyone in Pelican Town had been so welcoming and helpful. Mayor Lewis had given her parsnips seeds to start out. Pierre, who owned the General Store, had offered her sound advice, recommending she invest in not one individual crop, but multiple crops throughout the season. Marnie, the rancher who lived down the road had advised her to invest in a coop to raise chickens for fresh eggs every day once they reached adulthood. 

With all of their help, Jade had thought it would be easier, but challenge after challenge prevented her from moving forward. 

They say the first year is always the hardest. 

On this particular morning, she was disappointed to find her parsnip seeds didn’t take to the soil. Not to mention she had to chase off crows picking at the little buds that sprouted from the melon seeds she planted. Those were not cheap. After she decided to clear some of the brush and debris so she could have better access to a small body of water, Jade hadn’t realized how much time had actually passed before she noticed the sun was beginning to set. 

Nothing sounded better than an ice cold beer at the Stardrop Saloon after a hard day in the fields, and from Jade had gathered, that’s where most of the townsfolk gathered in the evening. While the farmer wasn’t acquainted with everyone in Pelican Town yet, Marnie had suggested she’d stop by so she could introduce her.

Friends would be a valuable asset in this small town, Jade would later learn. 

Jade headed back to the farmhouse to clean herself up, brushing her raven-black locks into a bun and washing her face. The young woman didn’t want to show up to the Saloon looking like she had been working all day, even if she had.

Approaching the saloon, Jade suddenly felt a nervous flutter in her gut. Not now, she thought, the nervousness rising as she stopped before the wooden door.

Taking a deep breath, the farmer pushed through the door, the distinguished scent of greasy food and ale hitting her nose immediately. There was music playing loudly, people dancing to a jukebox in one corner of the saloon, and to the other side Jade noted a few younger adults playing pool and laughing. The place was a lot livelier than she anticipated, but perhaps that was a good thing. That meant the attention wouldn’t go to her right away. 

She casually made her way inside, heading straight towards the bar to grab a stool. The barkeep greeted Jade with a friendly smile.

“Hello there,” the man greeted, polishing a mug as he leaned against the counter. “You must be that new farmer everyone’s buzzing about!”

“Yeah, that’s me,” she replied sheepishly, slightly embarrassed at the thought of her being a part of the latest gossip around town. She took this opportunity to hold her hand out and introduce herself.

“I’m Jade.”

“Gus. I own this establishment. Whether you need an ice cold beer or warm meal, I’m the guy you wanna talk to.” He smiled cheerily and shook her hand. “What can I get for you?”

“I’ll take your best lager.” 

“Coming right up!” 

Here eyes roamed across the bar at the other patrons. Everyone looked to be having a great time, dancing and singing, chatting and laughing. There was a great atmosphere to the place and Jade found herself a little less tense than when she had walked in. A cold glass placed in front of her brought her from her thoughts as she was met by a different person. It was a young woman with blue hair. 

“One drink for the new girl in town,” the blue haired woman exclaimed, “I’m Emily, by the way. I think you’re really going to love it here in Pelican Town!”

Her bubbly personality brought a cheerful smile to Jade’s face. Why was everyone here so nice? Back in Zuzu City, no one had ever genuinely greeted her like they did here. It felt as if everyone actually cared to get to know her. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Emily. I think so, too.” She smiled, taking the mug and bringing it to her lips to take a swig. There was nothing more satisfying than the cold rush of beer after a stressful day of work. Maybe this would take her mind off of the week’s failures. 

Jade was just about to commend the drink when someone came behind her and exclaimed, “There she is! Glad you could make it, Kid!” 

Jade recognized that voice. Spinning in her seat, she was greeted by Marnie, who brought her in for a friendly hug. The farmer couldn’t remember the last time someone had embraced her like so. The hug reminded her of the family she had longed for. It reminded her of exactly what her Grandfather had always told her — about his family in Pelican Town. She couldn’t help the smile that pulled at her lips as she thought of what she would tell him if she could: ‘You were right…’ 

“Let me introduce you to some of the locals!” Marnie’s voice brought her back to the bustling tavern. Jade gave a nod, feeling a sudden sense of belonging as the older woman took her around the bar and began introductions. 

She met Willy, the fisherman, who was engaged in a rousing conversation with Lewis, the mayor; Leah, a local artist, who was sat with Elliott, a writer; Pam, who was quite drunk and a bit rough around the edges, but otherwise friendly; Abigail, Sam, and Sebastian, who were on the farther side of the bar playing billiards, and were closer to her age. Everyone had greeted Jade with such affability and warmth. 

That was, until she met him.

Marnie seemed reluctant to bring her across the bar to a man standing alone, drinking a beer by himself. She could tell by the strained smile on her face that she felt obligated to do so. As they made their way over, dark eyes practically bore into her as Marnie spoke, “This is Shane, m’nephew. He lives with me on the ranch. Shane, this is Jade. She just moved here from Zuzu.” 

Shane replied with a gruff, “nice t’meet you,” and resumed drinking his beer, seeming disinterested.

“You know,” Marnie continued, “Shane used to live in Zuzu City, too! Maybe you two can get together and talk about what it was like in the big city!” 

There was an awkward silence, Jade was waiting for him to respond, but all he did was shrug and grunt. She could feel the tension between them, and her curiosity was getting the better of her as she observed his attire. He wore an old Joja Mart sweater, stained and full of holes, over a jersey for a Zuzu City Gridball Team. She wanted to comment on his jersey, but his dark vibe made her keep her thoughts to herself. 

“Well! We should get to meeting the rest! See you at home tonight, don’t stay out too late.” Marnie spoke quickly, giving her nephew a quick wave. Shane’s eyes met hers once again, cold and empty, sending a chill down Jade’s spine. She offered a sweet smile, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Shane,” her voice polite as she let Marnie steer her towards an old married couple that had just walked in. 

“Yeah, whatever.” 

——

Late in the evening, Jade lay in bed, those cold eyes still lingering in her thoughts as she wound down from the night’s events. There was something about that man, no doubt everyone could see the pain behind those eyes. It would have been rude to ask Marnie, and even more so to ask him. 

Maybe Shane was just having a bad night and wanted to be left alone. To assume there was something else going on without having a single idea what was silly. Deciding it was none of her business, she resorted to just going straight to sleep. After all, she had a big season ahead of her, and the farm was what she was supposed to be focused on. 

Little did she know, her focus was going to be very divided from that day on. 

——

The next day, she finished her daily tasks by 9, which left her with enough time to journey into town and visit Pierre’s. On her way, however, she noticed Shane walking rather quickly past the General Store. He looked like he was in a rush, but Jade couldn’t help but walk a little quicker to greet him. 

“Hey, Shane!” She said, joining his side.

Shane was clad in a blue Joja Mart uniform, clearly on his way to work. The dark bags under his eyes proved he didn’t get much sleep the night before, and he was probably battling a hangover. His body language wasn’t so friendly, either. 

“I don’t know you. Why are you talking to me?” He said, tone low and impatient. 

Jade’s brow furrowed together. She suddenly felt uneasy. 

“Oh. Uh, well we met last night at the Stardrop. I just thought I would say hello.”

“Why?” 

How was she supposed to answer that?

Shane continued, “We aren’t friends. Just because you’re new in town doesn’t mean I have to talk to you, so leave me alone.” And with that, he continued on to his way to work. 

Jade stood there almost dumbfounded, face red hot with embarrassment. She could not believe how he reacted. No, she didn’t expect to be the best of friends after just meeting, after all, they didn’t know each other at all. She was only trying to be polite. 

She had to clear her mind from the incident, otherwise it would bother her all day. Heading into Pierre’s, the shopkeep greeted her with his usual friendly smile. Purchasing some fertilizer with the hopes that it would raise the quality of the crops she’d just planted, as well as make up for what she’d lost the day before, she was suddenly caught up in a conversation about the progress of her farm thus far. A hand clapped her on the shoulder and she was pulled into a side hug by Marnie. 

Just when she’d forgotten about the incident earlier…

After exchanging greetings, Marnie added, “I’m making a roast tonight. It would be lovely if you could drop by.”

That sounded nice. When was the last time she'd gone to anyone’s house for dinner? 

“Yeah, that would be great! I’d love to come over.” 

“Great, Shane gets off early today, so he’ll be able to join us, as well.”

Cue the record scratch. Jade should have known. After all, Marnie had said she wanted the two of them to get to know each other better. She wondered if Marnie knew that her nephew wanted nothing to do with her…

“How does six sound?” The rancher brought her back, wiping the regretful frown from her face. 

“Six sounds great,” she tried hard not sound half-hearted. 

“Excellent. See you tonight, sweetheart!” 

Marnie gave a quick hug and went off on her way. Jade stood for a moment wishing she could take back her decision. Dinner with Marnie sounded wonderful, but knowing Shane was going to be there made her stomach churn. How could she face him after he shot her down? 

Maybe she would call Marnie and say she was feeling ill, or make up some sort of fib that her cat had gotten stuck in a tree….


End file.
